driver school car?

Is this a fragile piece of machinery or prone to break unique, expensive parts?

He can get a well-maintaned daily driver (ie, not a track car) for $2900.

And he'll get nice power with the 2.5 motor. The E30 is a great starter track car.

...especially the 325's....although, i personally dont know anyone that tracks an ix....

I think E30s can be great track cars (see sig...) but I'm not sure I'd go for the iX. It isn't really optimized for performance, the weight of the AWD system exacts a noticeable penalty on acceleration, and they really don't handle as well. There's a reason they all came from the factory with 1.5 inches of extra ground clearance over stock E30s...

Other issues:
- Wheels are unique and can't be shared with other E30s.
- suspension is also a bit different
- engine is mostly the same as the 325i, but has odd differences like a unique oil pan

That said, if you really want an iX, there's a very nice, well-maintained and track-prepped one for sale in the northeast. I've seen it in person, and it's as described...

See:
http://www.wmc-bmwcca.org/profile/classified

the IX was a nice attempt by BMW at the time, but it defintely had its quirks. Even the sport package version which I had in 2-door didn' toffer you much aftermarket or cross-BMW line options for upgrades or changes.